


I Might Have Known It Would Be Red...

by RedactedReader



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Bonding, Billy Hargrove Is Bad at Feelings, Billy Hargrove Tries to Be a Better Person, Good Sibling Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Neil Hargrove's A+ Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26904244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedactedReader/pseuds/RedactedReader
Summary: Susan and Neil were gone for the weekend when Billy received a call from the nurse at Hawkins Middle School.---"Why’d you even come pick me up?”“Your school called. Someone had to. Apparently that responsibility is on me. Now I get you’re on The Rag and everything, but don’t think that’s an excuse to kick my car. I will throw your ass out.”Max’s bottom lip quivered. ‘How do you know?”“I’ve been around enough girls to recognize the signs. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve got some tampons in the glove compartment if you want them.”“I...” Max turned away from him. She sat up straight, holding herself tight. “I haven’t… this is… I’ve never...”“This is the first time?” Oh, Billy did not sign up for this.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
Comments: 3
Kudos: 108





	I Might Have Known It Would Be Red...

**Author's Note:**

> No notes. I just really need Max and Billy being good siblings to each other. If I keep making my own happy endings for these two, I can pretend Billy's not gone.

Susan called him in sick from school that morning. She’d taken one look at his newly broken nose, and tapped fingers, before handing him a cold compress in silent apology. It wasn’t much, but it was how their relationship worked at this point. He was just glad his father had already left by time Billy made it back into bed, and threw the covers over himself. The house had been quiet for hours, Billy staying sheltered in his bedroom even after everyone had long gone about their day.

The phone in the kitchen started ringing. He ignored it the first time it began screaming, focusing on finishing the test prep packet for calculus. It rang a second time. The third time the shrill of it broke through the silence of the house, he groaned and made his way down the hall. He pulled the receiver off the holder, shoving it to his ear. “Hello?”

“Good morning,” a honey sweet voice greeted his ears, “is this the Hargrove residence?”

“It is. Whose this?”

“This is Hawkins’ Middle School. My name is Nurse Osman. Am I speaking to Neil Hargrove by chance?”

“No. You got Billy, his son. This about Max?”

There was a pause on the other end. “Well, hello Billy. I am indeed calling about Maxine. Is there someone available to come pick your sister up? I’m sure she will want to be the one to explain the situation to whoever arrives; it’s nothing too much to worry about. But given the stress of the situation, it might be best for her to take the rest of the day.”

Billy glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only a few minutes after ten. He considered hanging up, Max be damned, and going back to his bed. The echo of the phone in his ear was aggravating his already bruised skull. Standing around was beginning to remind him of the strain his ankle was under. There was voices muttered on the other end of the phone. He recognized Max’s voice, muttering that she’d skate home just fine. Nurse Osman was reminding her that she couldn’t just leave school grounds without a family member’s signature. 

He pinched the bridge of his nose; instantly regretting it when the swelling started to throb. “Just tell her to hold her horses. I’ll be there in like ten minutes.”

“Alright Billy,” the nurse continued speaking sweetly through the phone. “Maxine will be waiting in the office when you arrive. Just go through the main set of doors, and take a left at the first corner. The office is the first door you’ll come across. I’ll have Maxine get her things together and be waiting for you. She’ll be excused the remainder of the day.”

“Alright,” Billy muttered, hanging the phone up without much of a farewell. A groan danced through his lips as he trudged back into his bedroom. He slide his sweats off and changed into the first pair of jeans that didn’t smell. The feel of the harsh denim against the welts along his hip burned, but he ignored it, slipping on an uncharacteristically loose shirt. He toed on a pair of shoes, and grabbed his keys. 

It was cold out as he locked the front door. The early January air of bumbfuck Indiana was biting against his skin. There was a bit of snow left on the ground and it made Billy hate this place even more. The inside of his car was cold too, but thankfully it was a pretty quick drive. He arrived at the middle school, pulling sideways into two parking spots and cutting the engine off, still slightly cold. He half jogged up to the building, breathing in a bit of relief at the warm air inside. The office was just around the corner. He turned in, catching sight of Max sitting cross armed among a row of chairs. Her long red hair hung limp around her face, shadowing most of it. She sported a usual jeans and shirt, her dark green jacket tied around her waist. She looked fine, other than slightly pissed off. But in all honesty, Billy was used to seeing her pissed off, so it was nothing new.

“Can I help you?” The women at the counter waved for his attention. She was watching him with a frown, her thick rimmed glasses taking over most of her plumped face. Her hair was primed with far too much care, and her make up far too heavy for someone standing in a middle school office for countless hours. She had the same fake look so many people in this town had. It was nauseating. The way they plastered themselves up to hide all the cracks. It was all fake. Every last half ass, tight lipped smile they gave was fake.

“I’m here for Max.” Billy nodded towards the girl in question. She looked up at her name. The tightness of her frown grew as she shouldered her bag and came over to him. The suspicious way she kept moving the jacket hanging off her hips caught Billy’s attention.

“You must be Billy.” A familiar women’s voice greeted him. Billy turned as Nurse Osman entered the office, extending her hand to him. She looked like a middle school nurse if Billy ever saw one; shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes and a set of very cheap looking scrubs. But smiled at them warmly, her gaze going immediately to his bruised eyes and tapped up nose. She looked at his bandaged fingers as he shook her hand. “Have you gotten those injuries properly checked young man?”

“Where do I sign for Max?” He was ignoring that question. Billy shoved his hands into his pockets, balancing on the balls of his feet. He didn’t like the sharp look this women had, or the questions.

The woman at the counter slide a clipboard towards him, not really looking at them anymore. “Just right here. The highlighted lines are where you sign.”

Billy did so, scratching his name where he needed. He dropped the pen back on the counter, smiled too tightly and turned to Max. “You ready to get out of here, kid?”

“Whatever,” Max adjusted the bag on her shoulders and the tie of the jacket at her hips.

“Go get some rest Max,” Nurse Osman said, handing Max a small plastic bag. “A hot compress will helped with the cramps, and I’ve supplied you with a couple day’s worth of pads. You’ll need to get your mother to get you more, but it will hopefully keep you covered until then.”

“Thanks.” Max didn’t look at anyone as she pushed out of the office. She stood in the doorway, motioning for Billy to hurry up behind her. He gave a frown back, trailing behind her. They clambered into the car, Max once more setting into a pouting sulk as she glared forward. Heat began pouring though as the car started.

“So...” Billy leaned back in his seat, watching her carefully. “What’s all this about?”

“Just take me home.” Max lowered her head, her hair blocking her face. “I can take care of it.”

Billy looked away, moving to shift the car into gear and go. The silent shacking of Max’s shoulder stopped him. She wasn’t crying, but it was clear she was getting close. Billy kept the car in park, looking at her sideways. “You wanna talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I just wanna get home and talk to mom.”

“Susan’s gone this weekend, remember? Church retreat. Left like an hour ago.” Susan wasn’t real religious but since they moved into town and so much of the suburban mom lifestyle centered around book clubs and bible study sessions she had sunk into the born-again Catholic persona. It had just been their luck that her retreat was the same weekend that Neil got dragged to some team building weekend his work was requiring. They wouldn’t be back till Monday afternoon. It was Friday morning and Billy didn’t sign up to play parent in this situation.

“Fuck,” Max snarled. She kicked at the floorboard.

“Hey, no!” Billy snarled back. “Be bitchy all you want, but do not kick my shit.”

Max turned to him fully, her eyes were clouded with bubbling tears. Getting a full face of her, Billy could see the row of acne on her forehead that had sprung up sometime in the last few hours. She was holding her abdomen tightly, fiddling with the jacket ties. “Whatever. Why’d you even come pick me up?”

“Your school called. Someone had to. Apparently that responsibility is on me. Now I get you’re on the rag and everything, but don’t think that’s an excuse to kick my car. I will throw our ass out.”

Max’s bottom lip quivered. ‘How do you know?”

“I’ve been around enough girls to recognize the signs. It’s not that big of a deal. I’ve got some tampons in the glove compartment if you want them.”

“I...” Max turned away from him. She sat up straight, holding herself tight. “I haven’t… this is… I’ve never...” 

“This is the first time?” Oh, Billy did not sign up for this. Nowhere in his life did he agree to be the one ushering this kid into puberty. He should have ignored the phone and stayed in bed. The pain building behind his eyes had nothing to do with his broken nose, and everything to do with the stress headache he was currently building. Max nodded, refusing to look at him. 

Billy gripped the steering wheel, hitting the car into drive. They pulled out of the parking lot, cutting off some beaten up truck as he got on the road. He knew from cleaning the bathroom enough that Susan kept only tampons in the house. He passed the turn for home, instead heading deeper into town. Max eyed him curiously but didn’t say anything. She kept her arms around herself, waiting to see where he was taking them.

They pulled in front of the little convenient store. Billy cut the engine. “You wanna stay in the car or go in with me?”

“What are we here for?”

“You needs pads and shit. Susan doesn’t have any at the house. So we’re here getting some.”

“I don’t have any money on me.”

“You’ll pay me back.” Billy didn’t wait for her as he climbed out. His door shut just as the passenger’s door shut as well. Max came up beside him, adjusting the jacket once more. He herded her inside, keeping himself behind her as extra precaution. “You’re ass is covered. Not get moving.”

The bell above the door jingled at the walked inside. Mrs. Byers smiled at them, waved and went back to flipping through the magazine aimlessly. Billy lead them down the medical aisle, hand running over all the boxes. He spotted the sanitary napkin he figured would work best, as well as a heating pad, before leading them a few aisle over. There was already Valentines day candy sitting on the shelf. He grabbed two of those bags as well as a carton of those Whoopers Max loved to inhale, and a bag full of mini Tootsie Rolls. 

Mrs. Byers slide the magazine aside as he dropped their goods onto the counter. She smiled even brighter at the two of them. The corners of her mouth dropped slightly at the signs of injuries he sported, but she replaced it quickly. Max blushed as the sanitary napkins were rung up, but Mrs. Byers was kind enough not to mention it. “You kids skipping today?”

“Of course.” Billy tossed her a bright grin. Out of all the people in this town that made him want to gag on his own foot, Mrs. Byers brought a sort of equalizing with her. It made him feel comfortable and almost safe. Which was a strange realization considering that his first interaction with her had been him apologizing profusely for the damage he had caused to her home that night. He had apologized to a lot of people for a lot of that night. And she had offered a motherly comfort in return. “Start the weekend early.”

“I remember my days of skipping school.” Mrs. Byers rung up the total. She took the twenty Billy handed her and started counting out change. “Cutting last period. Its was math with um… oh what was his name… Mr. Quinto. Oh. A well stick in that mud that man was. I used to camp out behind the bleachers and smoke a joint with this boy Dav…” 

She seemed to realize what she had said as she handed Billy back his change. “Do as I say, not as I do kids.”

“Sure thing,” Billy only smirked. He grabbed the bag. “Bye Mrs. Byers.”

“Bye Mrs. Byers,” Max added. She seemed so much lighter than she had when Billy first picked her up. He was thankful for that and the calming air this women provided.

“Have a good day kids. And remember what I told you, Billy.” She looked at his bruised eyes and made her point clear. “If you need anything, if either of you kids needs anything, please call me.”

She looked him straight in the eye. He remembered. He’d never take her up on that offer, he knew that. But he still remembered none the less. “We’ll be fine.”

Billy lead Max out of the store. He shoved the bag at her, as they climbed into the car. The silence was a lot less heavy this time around. He turned the stereo on quietly, a soft base filling between their breathes. It wasn’t long before they pulled into the driveway of the house. His was the only car there. They trudged inside, locking the door behind them. 

Max kicked her shoes off in the middle of the living room as she tossed the bag onto the couch. She disappeared down the hall. Billy slipped into his bedroom as well, grabbing the sweat pants and changing back out of them. He entered back into the hall just as Max came moving out of hers. She had changed into a pair of black pajama bottoms and a tee. Her gaze was cast forward as she threw herself onto the living room couch. 

Billy stood in the doorway, stomach growing slightly. It was almost noon. He was hungry, having not eaten yet today. He hadn’t eaten last night either. “You want something to drink?”

“Sure.” Max didn’t look up. She curled tighter on the couch, the heating pad warming against her stomach. “I could go for something.”

Billy nodded. He went into the kitchen. The fridge was empty. The cabinets had a mix of rice and mashed potatoes but nothing worthy of a meal. It wasn’t uncommon for Susan and Neil to leave the kitchen under stocked should they leave their children alone. He’d need to order them a pizza or something for dinner that night. Swing into the store for something for the next few night. He grabbed a can of soda for both of them for now.

Walking back into the bedroom, he handed Max one, cracking open the other. Max already had her hand in the carton of Whoppers. She chugged the Cola through a mouthful of wafer balls. It was gross and a little amusing. 

“You wanna watch a movie or something?” Billy asked.

Max looked at him in confusion. “Why you being nice to me?”

Billy just stood in the middle of the living room. He chuckled under his breath. “Am I not allowed to be nice?”

“You are.” Max’s brow cocked. She held the heating pad closer to her waist. The carton of candy was leaning against her. She looked so young. Billy often forgot just how young she actually was. “But this is weird. Why aren’t you making fun of me? I’m sure you have plenty of jokes you could use.”

“I do. Oh, so many jokes. And next month, when we are here again, I will grace you with each and every one. I will make your ears bleed, I will be so vile.” Billy smirked. Max didn’t seem to appreciate his expression. “But you seem like you’re in a pretty shit place right now Max. I’d have to be a real true asshole to pile more onto you. So for this time… I will give you a reprieve.”

“What a saint.” Max was smiling now. She pulled a blanket over herself, clearing up the other half of the couch. “I wanna watch a horror movie. Something real bloody.”

The smile Billy gave back was soft and a little loving. Not that he would ever admit to loving his step-sister in any form. “Carrie?”

Max through a malt ball at him. It missed as Billy had already crossed the room and started digging though the VHS tapes. “A little on the nose…” 

Billy dragged the tape out from the bottom shelf. He was surprised Susan hadn’t tossed this one. She had a real dislike for horror movies and during the packing to move here, had tossed almost all of Billy’s horror tapes when he’d not been looking. It had led to a whole screaming matching ending with him sporting a bruised set of ribs and his relationship with his stepmother deteriorating even worst. This had been one of the few tapes he’d stashed away. She hadn’t made any complaints yet about it being there. Popping the tape into the player, he hit the power on the TV and started it all up.

After a bit of work, the movies started up with its somber opening title. Billy crossed the room, dropping onto the couch next to Max. He snatched the bag of Tootsie Rolls and started work on opening them. Max sat up slightly. She looked nervous, holding the heating pad close to herself. Her weight leaned towards Billy, but she didn’t rest against him. She hovered, and after a moment leaned her head on Billy’s shoulder. He didn’t pull away. Instead he raised his arm, wrapping it around the smaller girl so that she rested under the crock of his arm. 

The movie started up, and to an outside view it seemed like such a domestic scene. A brother and sister, curled up together on the couch watching a movie. There was no fighting. No hurt. No screaming and cursing and wishing to the sky that the other would disappear. The horror that their relationship had become seemed irreverent as they laid there together. It wasn’t fixed, but it was bandaged. And bandaged was good enough of a place to start.

“Thanks Billy.” Max didn’t look at him. “You’re a pretty good brother.”

“Oh am I? A good brother?”

“Sometimes. Sometimes you are.” Max curled closer to him. 

Billy drew her closer. “I’ll try to make sometimes a little more often.”

They feel asleep like that. A few hours later, after the TV had gone to static and the afternoon sun started to fall, Billy would order a pizza for them. He glanced at Max as he ordered, asleep in a pile of chocolate wrappers. He added pineapples to half the pizza – grimacing at ruining said pizza – and didn’t make a big deal out of it when she chowed down on her Hawaiian half. 

But not before she hugged him tightly. Billy didn’t make a big deal of that either. He just chalked it up to the kid’s weird hormonal crisis.


End file.
